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TODAY in Masonic History:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. was Born

Today in Masonic history Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. was born in 1914.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician.

Roosevelt was born in Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada on August 17th, 1914. Although being born in Canada entitled him to dual Canadian citizenship, there is no record that he ever availed himself of that opportunity. He would attend the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, a college preparatory school. He would go on to graduate from Harvard University in 1937. In 1940 he would graduate from the University of Virginia Law School.

As a young man in 1936 Roosevelt would contract a severe case of streptococcal throat infection, commonly known as strep throat. Complications would arise from the illness, the White House medical staff prescribed Prontosil, the first sulfonamide drug. The drug itself was a medical break through. The use of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's (FDR) son made world wide news. It heralded the start of the antibacterial chemotherapy era in the United States.

Although Franklin's two older brothers James and Elliott tended to be scandal prone, Franklin was not. He did have some legal issues, mostly from traffic violations and accidents. His legal issues paled in comparison with the scandals of his brothers, and are more than likely brought up as a comparison to his elder brothers.

In 1940, Roosevelt would join the Naval Reserve as an ensign. The following year he would attend, at the request of his father, Argentina Summit with Winston Churchill. He would sail home with Winston Churchill and would stand with him in American occupied Reykjavik, Iceland. The visit was to symbolize American solidarity with England, Scotland and Wales.

In 1943, again at his fathers request, Roosevelt would attend the Casablanca Conference. Later that same year he would meet his father in Africa before attending the Tehran Conference.

During the rest of World War II, Roosevelt served aboard various Destroyers in the North Atlantic and the Pacific. For one incident, he would receive the Silver Star. While his vessel was under attack he came out from under cover to carry a critically wounded sailor to safety. At the end of the Roosevelt would have his own command and would be in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan. Those who served under him nicknamed "Big Moose."

After the war, Roosevelt would practice law in New York State. He would also dabble in politics. In 1949, he would be elected to the United States House of Representatives. It was a less than stellar term in office. When his older brother James was elected to the house, the Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn told James "not to waste their time the way his brother did." He would later go on to run for the New York State Attorney General after being discouraged to run for Governor of New York by the head of Tammany Hall a democratic organization in New York. Not happy with the way her son was treated by Tammany Hall, Eleanor Roosevelt started a smear campaign against them until the head of the organization had to resign.

In the 1960 West Virgina primary, Joesph P. Kennedy Sr., a friend of the Roosevelt family asked Roosevelt to campaign for John F. Kennedy. Roosevelt would falsely accuse Hubert Humphrey of dodging the draft.

Roosevelt and Kennedy were close friends and Roosevelt spent a great deal of time at the White House after Kennedy was elected. Kennedy would appoint Roosevelt as the Under Secretary of Commerce. This was after Defense Secretary Robert McNamara vetoed Roosevelt's appoint as Secretary of the Navy. After Kennedy's assassination, Roosevelt would fall out of power in Washington.

Roosevelt would pass away on August 17th, 1988, his 74th birthday, from lung cancer.

Roosevelt was a member of Architect's Lodge No. 519 in New York City, New York.

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